TwentySix
by WithABunny
Summary: Twenty-six prompts. Centered on Near and Light.


_A/N: Well, here it is. My first piece of fanfiction, hopefully the first of many to come. By the way, this fic was inspired by Kitsune Alchemist, who wrote a wonderful DN fanfic titled _Writing the Alphabet_. Please go read and review it; that fic doesn't receive enough love. Also, G: Gavel was inspired by a line in the story _Dynamism_, by keem, who is another excellent writer. _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, its characters, plot, etc._

**A: Alphabet**

"K, L, M, N." The corners of Near's mouth twitched upward as he recited the four letters. "You may have started everything, Kira, but take heed: the end lies with _me_."

**B: Butcher**

"Call yourself what you like: a god, an angel of death, a righteous executioner. But you know what I think? You're a butcher, and nothing more."

**C: Close**

He is so near to victory right now; it's almost within his grasp, he can almost _taste_ it. Soon enough, this chess game they've been playing thus far will draw to a close at the price of the other's life, and the deserving victor will be unveiled.

It will be him.

**D: Delusion**

"You truly believed you were justice," Near mused. "Why, not even the original L was so deluded."

**E: Eerie**

Near finally discards his mask, and Light consciously suppresses a shudder. Even from this distance, he can see the all-too-familiar eyes boring into him from beyond the grave.

**F: Fall**

The game has reached its apex and arrived at its inevitable conclusion: L, the great heretic, has literally fallen from grace into condemnation.

_This_, Light thinks as he holds the dying detective in his arms, _is poetry at its finest_.

**G: Gavel**

"The bell may have tolled for L," he murmured as he toppled the Kira finger puppet with a lazy flick, "but the gavel pounds for _you_, Light Yagami."

**H: Heirs**

The two heirs rose from L's ashes, dealing their fatal blows to Kira from both sides of the law.

**I: Innocence**

The last vestiges of his innocence evanesced with the strokes of his pen.

**J: Justice**

"You're L!" Light yelled, composure finally broken. "You're supposed to represent Justice!"

At this outburst, Near turned and fixed him with an infuriatingly steady gaze before speaking. "Can justice really be personified, Yagami? The people who made claims to be such are dead…or imprisoned."

He threw Light a noticeably pointed look at this, causing him to turn away.

**K: Knell**

"The moment I told you whom I was," Near whispered quietly, "you should have known. My voice was your death knell."

**L: Liars**

The second L's words are deceitful and calculated, his promises fraudulent.

_I would know that_, Near thinks as he chuckles to himself. _After all, I play the same way_.

**M: Miscalculation**

One miscalculation, no matter how small, will lead to his downfall and derail everything he has worked to bring to fruition.

**N: Nod**

The moment Near sees the woman's name written in the neat, methodical strokes of Mikami's pen, he positively beams. This is what he's been looking for.

The key to victory is in his hand; the last nail needed for Kira's coffin merely waits for itself to be hammered and sealed, and…and…

_Mello, we've finally done it_.

**O: Outmaneuver **

Their minds are in a furious race to outmaneuver each other as they swiftly move their pieces across the board, determined to bring about a checkmate.

**P: Plotting**

This game, from its foundation on L's first challenge, has been about plotting and scheming, about who can spin a tighter web and weave a better deception.

**Q: Qualm**

_I...I can't believe it, it's _real_…_

He is human. This should sicken him, and of course it does. He's really killed someone. This is a crime, this is a homicide. He is a _murderer_.

A few minutes later, when he finally calms down enough to regain his better judgment, he realizes his foolishness.

Why should he be disgusted? The man was scum, unfit to live. This is no crime, this is judgment and execution, both bundled up within a pen's stroke.

And human? Why, he is the only one who can do this, the only one who can cleanse the world of people like the dead man. His pulse speeds up again, as he at last comes to the conclusion.

He is not human, but transcendent. He is a _god_.

**R: Restore**

It revolts him. The world is corrupt, putrid with the stench of evildoers. No one does anything to flush out the rotten once and for all; how could they? It is impossible to do so single-handedly.

_Or rather_, he corrects himself, _it was_. He, out of everyone else, has received the responsibility of purifying the world.

Justice and peace are finally in sight.

**S: Scathing**

"What you did goes beyond inhumane. It was cruel and arrogant as well." He twirled a lock of hair as he said this, dark eyes locked with Light's. "But above all, it was all too human. You understand that, don't you, _God_?"

**T: Toys**

Near gave him a lopsided smirk as he held up a black pawn. "I like to keep my toys close to me, Kira. You're no exception."

**U: Undying**

"You may kill me, but it will only be futile. For every L you kill, at least one is guaranteed to take their place.

"You see, Kira," Near continued with a faintly malicious smile, "_L doesn't die_."

With those dead wormholes staring right into his eyes at those last words, Light forced himself to restrain a shudder.

**V: Victim**

"What a pity," Near murmured as he continued to stack his cards. "You had such a bright future…if you had become a detective, you probably would have rivaled L himself in skill and prestige. When one looks at it that way, you really are the notebook's greatest victim."

**W: Web**

This Light Yagami, Near decides, is rather impressive. It takes a special criminal to acquit himself in the eyes of the world's greatest detective and a whole team of investigators, after all.

However, he smiles regardless – or rather, in face of the challenge.

Kira may be well-versed in spinning webs of lies, but he won't know what will hit him.

**X: Xiphoid**

_The pen is mightier than the sword_, it has been said before. Somewhere in an unassuming Japanese household, a seventeen-year-old opens a black notebook, a smug look painting his features.

The pen, in his case, is the mightiest sword of all.

**Y: Yet**

"You may address me as N," the voice had told him hours ago.

There is no way it could be _him_ (and he should know), but the alias, the self-confidence in his voice unmarred by the machine's distortion…

…it isn't _him_, and yet…

**Z: Zero**

Sometimes, he wonders what numbers Ryuk sees hanging above his head like a bounty, indicating the end.

_A/N: Xiphoid - Shaped like a sword._

_For anyone who scratched their heads at the interaction between Near and Light, those parts were the result of a plot bunny in my mind. I may one day write it out when I find enough time. Some of the content here may even be incorporated into the future fic._

_By the way, which one was your favorite? I particularly liked Y, myself._

_Thank you for reading! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed doing that as much as I did while writing this! Reviews with feedback and/or constructive criticism, or questions, are extremely appreciated._


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